Following the expansion of the European Union (EU) in 2004, migration from the new Accession 8 EU Member States to the United Kingdom (UK) has been identified as one of the most significant international migratory movements to the UK in recent times. The largest member of these states is Poland and the UK has been the most common destination for Polish migrants post 2004. Arguably, there is limited literature that focuses solely on women; indeed, women migrants were invisible until the 1970s. In relation to A8 migration, gender and gender roles are an under-researched area. The aim of this thesis is to fill this gap and offer new insights with regard to the influence of the migratory experience on Polish women’s lives and the way they negotiate their gender roles through migration. This thesis contributes new and unique evidence to the debates surrounding migration, gender, Polish women and comparative social policy, in particular with regard to the role of networks in migration; enduring and new push and pull factors; the icon of ‘Matka Polka’ and work-life balance. Through the use of 32 qualitative in-depth semi-structured interviews with Polish migrant women resident in two countries – the UK and Poland, this thesis considers the factors that motivate the initial and any subsequent ‘return’ international migratory movements undertaken by Polish women between the UK and Poland. Additionally, the ways in which Polish migrant women (re)negotiate their gender roles in regard to paid work and informal familial care across time and space are explored. It is concluded that motivations for migration as well as motives to remain in the host country are often related to economic factors and the availability of migrant networks. It is shown that the migratory process may indeed influence women’s perception of gender roles which seem to be re-evaluated post migration.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:664996 |
| Date | January 2015 |
| Creators | Duda-Mikulin, Ewa A. |
| Publisher | University of Salford |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://usir.salford.ac.uk/35634/ |
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